October 22nd, 2010 by typhonvision

E commerce was supposed to change the world.  In the infant days of the DOT.COM Revolution(early 2000s) Brick and Mortar stores were said to be a thing of the past.  Whereas E commerce stores were thought to be more efficient with lower overhead cost.

And we all know what happened to the DOT.COM bubble when it burst.  As a result the E commerce revolution didn’t occur as quickly as originally anticipated.  The main reason for the delay in consumer adoption to E commerce shopping was the lack of familiarity and comfort.  As the general consumer still had anticipations about issues regarding credit card security and reliability with the delivery of products.

Moving in 2010, E commerce has advanced considerably.  Which larger players like Amazon and Ebay have helped spread the general consensus that E commerce shopping can be safe, fast and easy.  As a result, year over year E commerce shopping has increased.

While the traditional ways of doing business still exist for most.  Lending a portion (Even a small amount) of your business to a E commerce component on your website can drastically increase your efficiency.

Who should use E Commerce solutions?

E commerce solutions are thought to be of benefit to those only focused on selling products.  As most companies providing services are limited by their Geographical region (Usually to their local area of service such as Toronto, Ontario).  However, there are some applications which E commerce can be effectively used for Services.  Furthermore, the traditional geographical limitations in providing services can now be faced with the myriad of the free technology available to us.  This includes tools such as Sykpe (Long distance calling), Youtube and Social media(Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).  Particularly if your business involves consulting as opposed to a physical service.

E commerce solutions for selling Products

The beauty of E commerce utilized for the sale of products is that your store can be everywhere and serve at any time.  Which exceeds the typical limitations of Brick and Mortar store.  Here are some broad categores of where E commerce for products can be used effectively:

Electronic Media - These include e-books, videos, audio and any form of Electronic media.  Special consideration should be given to e-books which in todays age is rising in usage.  This was confirmed when Jeff Bezos CEO of Amazon has claimed currently(Oct 2010) that 35% of sales from Amazon come from E-books(See Article here).  As E-books are a great way to distinguish yourself as a credible expert in your field.  And have a lower cost of production than hard copy books.  There are a variety of ways Electronic Media can be sold through an E commerce platform.  Which either the material can be downloaded within a limited timeframe (ie. 3 to 30 days window of opportunity to download).  Or can be downloaded multiple times indefinitely for a flat fee.  As with any electronic media, the susceptibilityto piracy is always factor and a threat in having downloaders redistribute the product for free.

Deliverable Products – This includes physical tangible objects which can be delivered by mail such as gift items, CDs, Videos and Promotional products etc.  Which virtually any product can be sold on-line.  However, consumers may be reluctant to buy from your website with the fear of receiving damaged goods upon delivery.  This can be challenged by outlining a solid customer satisfaction and return policy.  And describing your measures for effective packaging.  Consumers also might be reluctant to buy from your website since they may not be able to see, touch or feel the product.  Effectively integrating Video on your website for each of your key products can reduce reluctance.  Which the Video can display the product from all angles and its useful applications.  Consumers often feel enticed to buy a product based on a TV Commercial alone.  Done properly, Web Video can work in a similar manner to invite the consumers to buy.

Customized Products - This can be either a subset of a deliverable product or an electronic media item.  And can marketed in a manner that is similar.  However often the challenge with Customized products sold online is the variable pricing.  Which price can be determined by different factors (size, colour, accessories).  A strong identification of all the factors that make up the price of the item in a logical system can resolve this issue.  Where the different factors to scale the price can be programmed into the system.

E commerce for Services

Using E commerce for the sale of your services can be used in a variety of manners.  Included below is a brief example :

Events - This includes Seminars, Parties, Network events and Social events.  Whereas pre-registration is often required for many events to get an accurate estimation of the number of people in attendance.  Receiving a deposit for the event on-line can help to ensure more committed attendees show up.  Events can be promoted on your own website as well as third party websites such as meetup.com

Payment to Vendors – E commerce cannot only be used to get paid by your customers, but it can also help to pay your Vendors and respective partners.  This can be particularly useful if your vendors are overseas.  As platforms like Paypal can make it easy to transfer money

Services with a Variable price - This can include services which may vary in the price per item such as consulting services or donations (If you are not for profit).  However, depending on your E commerce setup ,it can be designed to handle a variable price specified by yourself or the consumer on each transaction.

What platform to use for E commerce component on your website

There are a variety of options which to house your e commerce platform.  Which is all dependant on your unique needs.  However, if you have under 20 items to sell on your website.  A dedicated platform may not be necessary at all.  As items can be sold with Paypal buttons extended onto your website.  Which is relatively easy and inexpensive to setup.

For a greater quantity of items.  A dedicated platform maybe required.  Which would also provide additional benefits such as advanced reporting tools (Showing most popular items), ability to enter stock quantity and expecting time of arrival.  In choosing a E commerce platform, open source software is often recommended.

Open source software is free software which a collective community of programmers continue to improve upon the functionality of the system.  Which yields regular and free upgrades in security, plug-ins and features.  In the past, it used to be the case that open source software was inferior to commercial grade packages.  However in 2010, often Open source packages can be more powerful.  Since the strength of hundreds of thousands of contributers can be greater than a single development team for a commercial package.

Stand alone open source E commerce packages like OS commerce and Zen cart have proven to be popular choices.  Which offer relatively easy installation and expandability.  However, if you already have a website and have taken the painstaking time to have it developed, there are options to extend upon your original site.  Such as if you have a WordPress (A popular content management system) site, there are various E commerce plug ins such as Welcart which can expand upon your current website without having to revamp your website design.

What E commerce can mean to you

Utilizing E-commerce on your website is not as daunting as it seems.  Its true in the past by majority E commerce was considered cumbersome and impractical.  However, the Internet has and never will be in a fixed state.  And technologies have greatly matured since its early days.  With the number of shoppers going on-line growing year over year, it’s becoming more important for businesses to not neglect this route.  As a effective E commerce plan can save you time and money while increasing your sales.

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September 20th, 2010 by typhonvision

Web video has become one of the best ways on establishing your personal stamp on the Internet and your website.  Yet today(September 2010), few businesses are taking advantage of this fantastic tool.  Which the reluctance to engage in web video can only be hypothesized.  However, it would be safe to assume like most technological matters it is thought to be a complex affair.

Before the days of Youtube, it’s true that placing video on the Internet was a cumbersome process.  Which discouraged most website viewers to even engage in the matter.  Making its return on investment very limited given the time and effort required.  This was mainly attributed to the large size of video files.  As compression techniques were not as sophisticated as they are today.  Therefore utilizing web video on the company website would often cause an exhaustion of the monthly bandwidth. (Total allowance of monthly traffic in and out of the website)

The popularity of Youtube coincided with a great advancement in video compression technology.  As Macromedia (Also responsible for Macromedia Flash) had introduced the FLV format to the web world.  The FLV format greatly reduced the size of video files while maintaining a high level of quality.  This leap forward in technology contributed to a major revolution.  As it allowed videos to be easily streamed on the web.  With little in the way of pre-downloading or buffering (Gaining a head start to minimize on pauses in between the video).  Which the video could be watched in real-time, similar to a Television program.  And thus, video on the web exploded.

However, great majority of the videos today are for the purpose of entertainment.  Ranging from comedic home videos to personal rants and reviews.  Yet, very few businesses are taking advantage of this technology.   Particularly lacking with Small and Medium size businesses  (As Large companies are utilizing its benefits marginally by engaging in more web video advertisements)

BENEFITS OF WEB VIDEO TO YOUR BUSINESS

Regardless of where technology goes, people do business with people.  And one of the best things about the Web is it allows you to deliver your message in a variety of ways.  Allowing you to personalize your brand with the time and effort invested.  As the Internet combines all the aspects of previous mediums into one (Television, Newspapers, Radio).  Allowing your individual personality and brand to jump off the page.

However, most business websites today say little about the people behind the company.  Which web video can be of great help in putting forth that message.  As often, there is due diligence put forth in listing professional credentials and achievements.  But often its the little things and nuances that make people comfortable in doing business with their selected partners.  Especially with the Internet, the web viewer has the power to move to the next website with only a few key presses if that comfort is not established.  Web video allows you to become more personable with your potential customers!

TYPES OF WEB VIDEOS

Web videos come in many different styles and lengths.  All with varying respective goals.  Here is a summarized list of different categories of web videos.

Introduction video

An Introduction video is meant primarily for when you first enter the website.  The main purpose of the introduction web video is to summarize the main selling points of your business.  An introduction web video should be approximentaly 1 minute and no longer.  Great majority of business websites should have this type of video.

Typically Introduction videos should automatically play upon entry of the website.  Since web viewers are often inundated with web videos today.  Having the video automatically play will ensure the viewer sees it, if they would otherwise be reluctant. If the Introduction video content is well thought out, they will continue to view it if the information is relevant.  The only case this would not be recommended is if your website is used as a information resource.  In which viewers continuously return to your website for the latest news and information in your industry.  However, this can be off-setted by creating a Splash page dedicated for the video.  Or making sure it is obvious on how to the stop the playback of the video.

There are three types of introduction web videos which are popular today: Personal Greetings, Company Overviews and Video Walk Ons.

The first type known as the Personal greeting is a short dialogue given from a key representative of the business.  Often this is best done by the owner of the business or someone who presents themselves well on camera.  The personal greeting usually consist of one or two camera angles.  In which the representative is speaking from a common place setting such as the company board room.  The personal greeting is becoming one of the most popular videos used by businesses today.  As it helps to bring the ‘personable’ element to your business.

The second type of introduction video is known as the Company Overview.  The Company Overview consist of multiple shots which delivers the general message of the Company Mission.  And often the Company Overview features multiple people in the video (As opposed to one person in the personal greeting).  These days, Company Overview videos are being used less today.  Previous to the invention of the FLV format, the company overview was often used as a downloadable video.  In the past, the problem with Company Overview videos was their length of time, often spanning from 5-10 minutes.  Which most people don’t have the time to watch when first entering a website.  Without at it at least being quickly identified in the viewers mind “What’s in it for me?”.  However a Company Overview video can still be an effective tool if kept to 1 minute.  By highlighting some of the benefits (Rather than the features) of your brand.  Which would allow you to introduce the ‘people’ in the business as opposed to one key person.

The third type is known as the video walk on(As seen on the Typhon Vision Website).  Which a speaker literally ‘walks on’ to the backdrop of the website screen.  The speaker then begins to highlight the benefits of the business to the customer.  The video walk on has similar advantages to the Personal Greeting.  However it is considered more sales pitch oriented with a little extra flash and polish.  And considering that video walk ons are more difficult to do;  It holds a higher status than Personal Greetings in terms of prestige and branding.

Video distribution(Video Blogs, Video Advertisments, Video Podcast)

A distributed video is used for the purpose of showing the video outside of the website on some of the respective Internet Video channels.  This includes podcast as well as the various Youtube clones such as Revver, Vimeo, Yahoo Videos, MSN Video, AOL Video, Clipmoon etc.  Often this is where many Viral Videos are found.

Videos which are focused on entertainment are often found in abundance on Video distribution channels.  So unless your business has an element of entertainment, usually these channels aren’t for you.  As most Videos which gain in popularity on these websites are those which are quirky and funny.   Although these channels can also include videos which are educational in nature.  Most educational videos don’t go viral since there isn’t universal interest amongst friends to pass the video along.  So the invested time is often is not worth its given return.

Also since the viewer on the video channel can be anywhere in the world.  And search results are not filtered by geographic region, this isn’t much help if you are a local business looking to expand on your locale clientele.  So in summary, unless you can make these video entertaining, usually this is not the place for most businesses.

Product / Service Details Video

These videos are often are found in the inner pages of the website.  Which help to elaborate or summarize some of the key aspects of your product / service.  Often these videos can be helpful to better explain areas of your business which maybe more technical or complicated to understand by the layman.  Making it easier to digest the information in comparison to the written word.  Since your Product / Service Video can relay its information by using diagrams, models and visual examples.   As a picture is worth a thousand words.

Unlike the Introduction video, this is where you can use a video that is longer than 1 minute long.  Since these videos are embedded deeper into the website, therefore the web viewer wants to know more.

Examples of Product / Service detail videos would be elaborating on your Quality Control Process.  Or showing all the different uses of your product.  Product / Service details video can also be used effectively as marketing material for your Sales staff.  As they can point to the video during presentations or send it to prospects to explain the more complex aspects of their business.  Since that complex information can be captured well with video just once.  And used multiple times to better educate your customers and prospects.

If you have some complex issues related to your business that require explanations.  A product/service video can help!

WHERE TO HOST YOUR VIDEOS

Videos can be hosted on external websites or your own website.  Using external websites would be utilizing the technique of Embedding.  By Embedding a video, the video can be uploaded to a website such as Youtube.  Which then utilizing special HTML code can be placed on your own website.  The embedded video in fact looks like its playing on your website, but is in actuality playing from the external website like Youtube.  The video can also be set to a private video so they can only be used for the purpose of embedding it on your own website.  Therefore cannot be found in a standard search query from Youtube or Search engines in general.

The benefit of hosting the video on an external website is that it conserves your monthly bandwidth (Amount of traffic allowed per month).  Which may make a significant difference if your website has a great deal of traffic already.  The downside is that embedding from an external website is often the Video Channels branding is displayed.   Such as the Youtube logo appearing at the bottom right part of your video.  Therefore, hosting the video on your own website removes this problem, however the flip side is the challenge is managing your website bandwidth allowance.

As an easy rule of thumb, if your website has more than 200 unique visitors per day and you have a standard web hosting package, then hosting your video externally becomes more important.  Granted that you are not making any adjustments to your webhosting package in the monthly bandwidth allowance.

SUMMARY

Web video is a great way to personalize your website and make it stand out from the rest.  With Web video you are able to make the differentiators of your business clear to your viewers.  As people are more open to watching a video than reading material on your website.   Although Quality of the production is always an important issue, the saving grace is some of the most popular videos on the web have not necessarily been the highest quality.  As many Viral Videos have been shot on Mobile Cell phone cameras alone.  However, since the Video is representing your business, it helps to allocate the best budget you can afford  But doesn’t neccessarily require a massive budget for your web video to be effective.  Web video allows your website to jump off the page and display itself in its full dimensions.  Which in todays competitive world, that extra edge in differentiating yourself can make all the difference!

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July 22nd, 2010 by typhonvision

Web design is like fashion, we all have our own personal taste.  And what was in yesterday, isn’t so hot today.  As the Internet world also goes through its own fashion trends.

Pre-1992 era, the Internet was not known to the general public, and text was all the rage.  As the graphical layouts with the Internet world we know today didn’t exist.  Then there came the first graphical browser known as Mosaic which changed everything.  Mosaic allowed graphics to be seen and shared on the Internet.  Bringing a new dimension to the World Wide Web, where a picture is worth a thousand words.  The same original developers of Mosaic went onto develop the famous Netscape Navigator.  Which then was duplicated with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.  And the rest is history as we know it.

From 1995 onward the Internet became more common amongst the average person.  And became a great buzz word to bring up in any conversation.  Similar to how today(2010) the words “Social Media” are brought up at every dinner party, meeting or company gathering.  As it helps to make one to sound more sophisticated, distinguished and with the times (Regardless if you know what it is or what a computer looks like).

With the graphical interface Mosaic exposed, website visuals were taking to the maximum.  Adopting a “LOOK AT ME” philosophy, using everything and anything to garner attention.  Such as Animated GIFs, Flashing lights, Rainbow font colours in a single line of text and MIDI Music blaring from your computer speakers when you first enter a website (For the purpose of waking up the kids).  With all these components combined without any consideration stylistically if they made sense.  As it would be the equivelant to wearing a cowboy hat with a pin stripe suit combined with flip flops.  Although many of these old web designs have been extinct like the Dinosaurs for many years, a place to visit these vast artifacts was on www.geocities.com.  Geocities was a free web server owned by Yahoo.  Thankfully, in october of 2009, Yahoo buried these tired old web designs by closing Geocities.

Then came the era of Macromedia Flash in the early 2000s.  Although Macromedia Flash had originally came onto the scene in 1996, in the early 2000s it grew in prevalence.  Everyone wanted a Flash intro, except nobody would watch them.  Flash designers often touted the benefits of Flash, as a way to stand out from the crowd.  Working with full Flash web designs to Flash Intros when you enter a website (Which thankfully the SKIP INTRO button was invented).  Although Flash does have its place in todays web design world, it is used more sparingly due to its Search Engine Optimization challenges (Discussed further in this article).

The prevalent trend toward simple and clean web designs co-related with the growth of the social networking website Facebook.  Facebook grew out a Hardvard domatory, to the billion dollar company it is now.  Retaining much of its original look in its simplicity.  Although Google(Which came before Facebook) was a proponent of “simple is better” in its own design; Facebook nailed the point home that simple can be also be profitable.  One of many the aspects which made Facebook popular, was it was easy to navigate and quick  loading compared to some of its respective social networking competitors such as Myspace and Friendster.  Which were known for their painfully long loading times.  Part of the reason for this was the complexity in which Myspace users could customize their page.  Facebook was relatively intuitive  in comparison(Unlike Myspace, people over 17 years old could understand it), allowing users to network with their friends and share their latest news.  Users appreciated the simplicity in being able to find information quickly and not having to wait or be confused.  Showing you can have a million dollar website AND be cool, without being overly flashy in your visuals.

So here are some reasons YOU should consider a simple and clean design for your next web design project :

1) Website viewers often speed read.

The truth is, web viewers are lazy, we are guilty of that at one time or other.  In the constant rat race of life, the Internet allows us to find information quickly and move onto the next site if we don’t get what we want.  The reality is most web viewers speed read, as the average time spent on a business website at 30 seconds is not a uncommon number.  Speed reading is often conducted in making a “S” pattern with ones eyes when glancing at the screen.  Therefore it makes sense to visually make sure there is ample space between text.  And that the key points can be picked out during that speed reading process.

2) Google has confirmed better search engine results for websites with quicker load times.

Earlier this year(2010), Matt Cutts, director at Google confirmed that website load times as one of many (200+) factors were added to SEO results.(Search Engine Optimization Rankings)  Now does this mean you need to cut out every graphic image from your site to make it load faster than the speed of light? No, as  the basic principals of SEO still exist with Keyword density and Outside Links being the predominate fundamentals.  And load times are one of many aspects added to its detailed criteria.  So it’s just one more reason to not over burden your web design.

3) It’s easier/more cost effective to design an Search Engine Optimized website.

Before mid-2008, Macromedia Flash designs were a nightmare from an search engine optimization perspective.  However, preceding the summer of 2008 Google and Macromedia announced a partnership to improve search engine optimization with Flash sites.  While Flash sites optimize better these days, optimization is still not great.  The reason being is Google doesn’t read graphics very well. (Or at all – As it reverse engineers the graphics to read text.  Using OCR – Optical Character recognition technology which works with varying success.)  Even though some text may in fact look like regular text, it would technically be a graphic in Google’s eyes.  Since that graphic is made so it can be animated and flashy.  This doesn’t doesn’t only apply to Flash sites, but also static HTML websites as well.  As when a web designer is focusing on a flashy approach, graphics maybe used when text maybe more effective.  Text is the high octane fuel for search engines!

4) Simple and clean web designs present a more modest and professional look.

How do you want to present yourself professionally?  Do you want to convey trust, professionalism and credibility to your potential clients?  Often a simple web design projects a quiet, conservative, reserved and respectable image for your company.  Being, simple and to the point by saying a great deal, with as little as possible.  Being too flashy and over the top is like trusting the salesman in the brightly checkered suit.  Would you trust the smart, conservative, sober professional?  Or the backslapping, oh too positive to be real salesman who seems to think his finger is a gun.

So what your saying is….

So in short, the key is to be simple but NOT BASIC.  As web users of today prime concern is to get the information quickly and efficiently without having to do a whole lot of searching and navigating.  Often we seek to stand out from the crowd by being over the top and too flashy.  However, specific customers at your target market are often best captured with quiet, composed and clean web designs.  As its a true sign of expertise to be able to communicate your message effectively with less.  So don’t be that guy/gal standing out at the party for all the wrong reasons with leather pants in a fishnet top.  Get with the times and make sure your website is clean, clear, simple, professional and to the point in its web design.

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June 25th, 2010 by typhonvision

WordPress is fast becoming one of the most popular CMS’s (Content Management Systems) of today. For those of you who are not familiar with the terminology, the question may arise what exactely is a CMS?

Static websites are becoming less prevelant in the Internet World today. A CMS system allows the general user with little technical knowledge to be able to update their website.

This is a beneficial scenario for most, because it allows the website owner to be able to update the website instantly. Without having to send the request to the original Web Developer.  Furthermore, although a CMS maybe more costly up front. It is potentially more cost effective in the long run if the website owner is looking to make updates frequently. Saving the cost of the website owner in not having to pay the web developer each time an update is made. Finally, CMS websites have become more popular because websites are used differently than they were in the early days. Whereas in the early era of the Internet, websites were mainly considered on-line brochures. Whereas now, they are used as a cost effective means to communicate with current clientele.  And to provide updates on the latest news, promotions and events. Especially when compared to utilizing tradition media such as print material.

There are many CMS’s available, some of the names of popular systems include : WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Posterous, Typepad and Vignette. And of that list, WordPress remains the most popular. And while WordPress is not technically the most superior, its current success and popularity breeds more success. Similar to the 1980s in the VHS and BETA wars. VHS won as the predominant product by its strong following, even though BETA was technically superior. So the most technically advanced product doesn’t always win the race.   Here are 3 good reasons on why you should select WordPress as your CMS for your website.

REASON #1 – IT’S THE EASIEST TO USE

WordPress began its life strictly as a blogging platform in its inception.  A blog by technical definition is a CMS system.  As a blog allows a user to easily add, update and delete information with little technical knowledge.  However, there is a familiar format with a blog, which resembles an online diary with respective time stamps.  Since a Blog and a CMS system are similar in functionality, WordPress evolved to be a full-fledged CMS, in addition to having blogging functionality.  Being based on a blog system, its user interface was created on a easy to follow system.

WordPress is similar to using Microsoft word.  Including its general structure and being able to format text, add pictures, embed videos etc.  Also since WordPress is the most popular system, user friendliness is always improving.  Since the general consensus of what is most intuitive helps to sway future design improvements.

Other CMS systems like Joomla and Drupal are catered to the more technical user.  Allowing for a variety of features which most average users would never look at.  Which most users would feel intimidated by having too many options.  And find the user interface inundating with technical details.  Which somewhat defeats the purpose, since often the technical user would be able to design their own website from stratch.  And would not require a CMS website when compared to the average user.

WordPress is catered to the laymen user in its user interface.  Chances are if you can use Microsoft Word, you can use WordPress.

REASON #2 - IT’S FREE

Unlike expensive commercial CMS software which may cost upward to $250,000(Vignette).  Wordpress is free and does not require any recurring licensing fees.  The reason for this is WordPress is Open Source software.  Open source software means the programming code is open to the public and free for any programmer to modify and improve upon the general structure.  And the collective WordPress community often looks to continuously improve and expand on its basic functionality.

Open source software has come a long way from its early heydeys.  In the past Open source software was often inferior to its commercial counterparts.  However, with the large growth of proponents of Open source software, often they now surpass commercial grade packages.  Aside from design fees in customizing a WordPress web design, there are no recurring cost.

REASON #3 – IT’S EASY TO EXPAND

Let’s face it, the Internet is never at a stand still.  As it continues to grow at an overwhelming rate.  Moving the bare minimum expectations along the way.

Since WordPress has one of the strongest followings as a CMS website platform.  It also has one of the largest supplies of add-ons and plug-ins.  Such as SEO Plug-ins, Social Networking integration tools, Slide Show plug-ins, etc.  Also, security is an important concern when selecting a CMS website  Especially with the growing threat of Website Viruses (You can read more about Website Viruses from our previous blog post).  It’s always important to get the latest security patches.  Which is easy to apply by a simple click of the mouse.

So you get an up date, expandable Content Management Systems that moves with the current trends in technology!

STILL NOT CONVINCED YET?

Like fashion sense, taste in food and favourite cars, we all have our own preferences.  The more technical users may prefer a more advanced package such as Joomla or Drupal.  However, to most users its important for a CMS software to be easy to use, cost effective and easy to upgrade.  WordPress continues to grow at a rapid rate and will only expand further on the key requirements for the average web user.  WordPress is here to stay and isn’t going anywhere.  So if your deciding in your new design which CMS to choose, chances are WordPress is the way!

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March 4th, 2010 by typhonvision

What exactly are website viruses?

With all the given security threats computer users need to worry about;  The standard for responsible awareness grows even further with each passing year.  In the past, before the days of Internet Popularity(Previous to the year 2000) computer users only needed to worry about viruses which infected personal computers.  Some of these viruses we’re relatively harmless, at most displaying a mischievous message on your screen during certain times of day.  While others we’re more destructive, aiming to destroy your critical data.

After the year 2000 came a new variant of a security threat known as spyware, ad-aware and malware.  These malicious inventions main source emanated from adult sites.  In which they would display aggravating pop-up ads on your computer while you surfed.  Some spyware had even worse intentions, attempting to capture sensitive information such as your banking or credit card information while you browsed the web.

Now from the year 2007 and onward, comes a new threat known as the “website virus”.  Website viruses infect the code of non-suspecting website owners.  Particularly vunerable are owners who have sophisticated website structures such as a Content Management System, Blog, Forum or E-commerce store.  The virus then attaches itself to the code of your website.  Then it attempts to spread the infection to each and every visitor who visits your website!

From a functional standpoint this is obviously detrimental.  Since certain infected areas of your website will not work at all.  As the virus code may cause it to completely malfunction.

From a marketing standpoint, this is even worse, as it’s tarnishing your brand/image you have worked so hard to create.  Infecting all your potential and existing clients whom are visiting your site.  Also since this would reduce your traffic, on-line leads would shrink and your revenues would be effected.

As of the time of writing this article(March 2010), there isn’t any easy way to clean viruses from your website(Unlike viruses for personal computers).  So the process to remove the virus is not as simple as using a program like Norton Antivirus or Mcaffee.  If you DO get infected by a website virus,  tt requires a web developer to spend hours painstakingly going through each page of your website and manually removing the faulty code.  The easier method of course is to restore a saved copy of the website.  However, if you have a content management system or e-commerce platform, you would also need to have saved a copy of the  database itself.  Since the database would store the latest contents of the site.

Now the good news is detecting a website virus is fairly easy.  If certain aspects of your website are not working properly, it’s possible it may have a website virus.  However, this could be caused by many other things.  So this would be the most basic clue.

The best form of detection of a website virus is through Google.  Since Google scans websites in the attempt to capture the latest updates.  If Google suspects that there is a virus on your site, it will place a warning which will be displayed in your search results.  So by googling your company website, you can see if a virus has been detected.

Also, the browser Apple Safari will warn you if you try to visit a site that is potentially infected with a virus.  However, the source of Safari’s alerts come from Google.  So this is a good option to feel ensured when you are surfing that you will not get infected by a website virus.

With the growing power of technology, comes new ways to exploit power with negative means.  Website Viruses are become an unfortunate reality in the Internet world.  And can create a huge setback to your company reputation.  However, by taking precautionary measures by having an appropriate backup strategy, the potentially detrimental effects can be minimized.  Keeping your customers confident in your business and protecting your brand as a highly valued asset.

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